Best engine oil to use?

[Jarhead767]

Can one of you experts tell me what oil is best to use in a Katana 750 that resides in Louisiana? I just bought an 03' and I want to change the oil now so I have a good reference point.

Thanks!

[WildKat]

I used to use amsoil in my previous bikes alot..but its alittle on the expensive side, but its definately good stuff!!

[Anonymous]

Mobil1 MX4T .....superiour synthetic at an affordable price (somewhat)

[tzortn]

You have started religious debate. There seems to be a million opions regarding oil. Personally I use Castrol Actevo 10w40(semi-synth). I would say that as long as you are using a quality motorcycle specific oil you will be ok. I would go with what is easy to get and within your price range.

[Guest]

Save your money, just get normal Castrol 10W40 for cars, Trust me, they all do the same think, Just change your oil every 4-5000K

[pmkls1]

"Save your money, just get normal Castrol 10W40 for cars, Trust me, they all do the same think, Just change your oil every 4-5000K"

you are very wrong there my friend, car motor oil has extra friction modifiers in it that messes with the wet clutch setup that most bikes have. motorcycle specific oil is highly recommended for any bike using a wet clutch which is just about all japanese bikes. I personally run amsoil synthetic in my bike and if you go to their website and join their preferred customer program it is about 6 bux a quart which isnt bad considering most bike shops charge 4 bux a quart for conventional oil. All told I spend less than $40 for my oil and filter shipped from amsoil. reguardless of what brand or if it is synthetic or conventional I would HIGHLY suggest that you use a motor oil formulated specifically for a motorcycle............

[The CyberPoet]

(A) I live in Florida, do lots of highway miles at high speed and have always been very pleased with the viscosity of Castrol's GPS when I went to change it at 3500 miles. I think this is the real test of an engine oil -- not what it feels like going in, but what it feels like coming out. You can see the actual results of using it in this thread:
KR - How Clean is the Inside of your Engine?

(B) There are a lot of good motor oils out there. What you really need to look for are:
- API SF/SG (preferably), or API SH rated (NOT API SJ, SL or SM!)
AND
- JASO MA rated (motorcycle-specific by nature of the spec)
AND
10w40 to 20w50 at this time of year in your location.

Given the above requirements, there are a large number of good motor oils out there, including:
Castrol ACT/Evo
Castrol GPS
Mobil 1 MX4T (10w40), and VTwin (20w50)
Royal Purple CycleMax
Motorex (15w50 is good for your use)
etc...
As long as it meets all of those specs above, you can't go wrong.

For lots more info, see CyberPoet's "Everything you ever wanted to know about how to pick motor oil for your motorycle" at MotorcycleAnchor.com, now offering 400 degree all-weather open-cockpit oil temp gauges for Katana's and other oil cooled bikes!

DO NOT USE ANY OIL MARKED ENERGY CONSERVING!


Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Guest]

I use the Suzuki 10w40 from the bike shop for $2.29/qt. I've put 2500 miles on my bike in the last 4 weeks and it has been 85+ everyday. My oil still looks brand new.

[The CyberPoet]

I use the Suzuki 10w40 from the bike shop for $2.29/qt. I've put 2500 miles on my bike in the last 4 weeks and it has been 85+ everyday. My oil still looks brand new.

The Suzuki house-brand oil is actually no longer suited to your motorcycle. About October of 2004, Suzuki changed their private label oil from being a SF/SG/SH to being an SL oil, for use in their cars and some of their newest bikes (check the bottle -- you'll see). For the air-oil cooled bikes like the Katana and the Bandit, the "Suzuki" brand oil no longer meets Suzuki's own specs for the engine (see your owner's manual). They are working on the basis that SL exceeds SH -- which it does, but only for (per the API) Automobile engines designed for it -- not for most motorcycle engines (and definitely not for the Katana). This change in direction for the API is the whole reason the JASO-MA standard came about.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[SweetLou]

I use the Suzuki 10w40 from the bike shop for $2.29/qt. I've put 2500 miles on my bike in the last 4 weeks and it has been 85+ everyday. My oil still looks brand new.

The Suzuki house-brand oil is actually no longer suited to your motorcycle. About October of 2004, Suzuki changed their private label oil from being a SF/SG/SH to being an SL oil, for use in their cars and some of their newest bikes (check the bottle -- you'll see). For the air-oil cooled bikes like the Katana and the Bandit, the "Suzuki" brand oil no longer meets Suzuki's own specs for the engine (see your owner's manual). They are working on the basis that SL exceeds SH -- which it does, but only for (per the API) Automobile engines designed for it -- not for most motorcycle engines (and definitely not for the Katana). This change in direction for the API is the whole reason the JASO-MA standard came about.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

Damn, I just bought like 2 quarts of that stuff too, and already put 1 quart in.

[The CyberPoet]

Damn, I just bought like 2 quarts of that stuff too, and already put 1 quart in.

Check the bottle -- maybe you got lucky and got old stock. If it says SL on it, take the other bottle back.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Jarhead767]

Thanks to all that took time out to reply!!

Cyber .... as always you are fact based and informative ... Thanks to you too!!

I am a Castrol fan ... been using it in my cars since i started driving ... I will go for the GPS!!

Thanks again!!

[The CyberPoet]

The following response was received today from the API concerning a question I had about the new API SM rating (I have highlighted important sections):

Although the primary market is for automobile engines it can be possible to use the oil in a motorcycle. This is dependent on the design of the motorcycle.

Higher performance engine oils such as API SM and ILSAC GF-4 (Typically SAE 5W-20, 5W-30 and 10W-30 viscosity grades)
will contain some level of friction modifier. While the friction modifier improves fuel economy it is not compatible with wet clutches used on motorcycles. The friction modifier causes the wet clutch to slip. This is especially true if the motorcycle manufacturer recommends using only engine oils carrying API SF or SG Service Categories.

API recommends following the Original Equipment Manufacturer's (OEMs) oil recommendations. We have heard that some OEMs have included SJ as an acceptable engine oil for motorcycles. Typically an API SJ engine oil would include some friction modifier. If the OEM indicates that higher performance engine oils such as API SJ, API SL and API SM it is possible to use the engine oil in these motorcycles.

I hope this helps answer your question.

Regards,

Dennis L. Bachelder

American Petroleum Institute
1220 L Street NW
Washington DC 20005 USA
Send To: [email protected]

Thus the final word, even from the API is the same as I've been telling everyone for years now:
API SJ, SL and SM are NOT compatible with your Katana engine's design (which calls for an SF/SG rated oil).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[zleviticus]

that's awesome CP...

[The CyberPoet]

I have some oil that is rated SH, SJ, SL. Can i use this in my Katana?

-Vidal

You can use any oil in your Katana -- the question is whether you'll regret it later. Since you didn't tell me anything else about this oil, I can't give you an informed answer -- does it say "energy conserving" in the API category mark on the bottle? If so, the answer is no. Is it a car oil? If so, the answer is maybe, but probably shouldn't.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet